Gloyd's Past - The Tale of the Lonely Child
by DreamerAwaken
Summary: Rewritten. Follow the story of a young boy in a quest to find himself and escape the pain and sorrow from his everyday life, in hopes to find the place he truly belongs to. (Read this before 'Gloyd's Past - Island of the Shadow!)
1. Prologue

Over a dark wooden table, bathed with the golden light of a single candle, an old book was placed down and carefully opened.

Hands slowly moved through the pages, stopping every once in a while to see the ink illustrations in it, but not for long. They kept moving the pages, as if searching for something in particular.

A quiet, disappointed sigh was heard as the hands had reached the end of the book. After a quiet minute, the hands retreated themselves as they had not found what they needed; the book was left alone on the table.

But suddenly, a black blur passed through, flipping all the pages back to the beginning of the book.

The page it showed read the following...

* * *

 _'The day is XX, the month is XX. The moon is bright and the wind blows softly._

 _Hello, there. I see you've found my book... would you like to know what's behind these pages? Go ahead, you can trust this old journal, for everything that's written in these pages are things that I have experienced, that I have seen, and it's only purpose is to be found and let the story in it be known._

 _Who am I? I'm sorry, but all I can tell you is that I'm someone who goes by the name of the moon. Refer to me as 'The Author', if you may._

 _I'll go back into topic... have you ever heard about our land? The land of Halloween itself?_

 _A place no one knew existed, because of how hard it is to get here. A place in where pranks never grow old. A place in where the Jack-O-Lanters shine brighter than the stars in the dark sky above us. A place in where the night is never over, where mystery and excitement are united by a string, and of course, the land in where Trick-or-Treaters live and enjoy themselves._

 _A place called, in honor to their people, **Trickery Treat.**_

 _A place that is filled with fun and mischief... but hidden under every smile and laughter, a trace of fear and worry is present._

 _Why fear? Isn't this place all about candy, wearing costumes, and playing pranks on others?_ _It should be that way, but unfortunate events are driving us away from that dream, further and further, as I write._

 _The story in this book starts from the very beginning, far from when the fear in the islander's hearts became evident._ _The beginning of this tale is centered on a young, pained avatar, who left in a quest to find himself._

 _And I can assure you, that he undoubtedly holds the key to our freedom._

 _My very first friend.'_

* * *

 **10-18-2016**

 **A/N: Welcome to the story that started my two-part series of Gloyd's Past! Currently speaking, I'm going through all these chapters and 'fixing' them.**

 **The 'Prologue' is the starting point of it all, and whoever this 'Author' is, I can assure you that we'll be hearing a lot from him and his journal through the process of our story. Let the renewed tale be tell, and leave a review to let me know what do you think of the new updates!**

 **~DreamerAwaken.**


	2. Just a Normal Day

In the middle of a hill near one of the biggest forest areas, a mansion was standing high above everything and could be seen from almost every corner of the island. Surrounded by flying crows and mist, the eerie atmosphere it brought was, incredibly, enough terrifying to keep avatars and NPCs away.

The reason behind it was simple, it was Lord Duskus Crowmaster's house, who was not only known for being the ruler of Trickery Treat, but also for being a man with absolute control over everything thanks to his source code.

Everybody respected their ruler, but mostly because they feared him and the things he could do if not pleased.

But despite his reputation, he wasn't alone, contrary to what many thought. Two young boys were also living in the colossal house, brothers respectively- Lloyd Shadowmark and Gloyd.

Lloyd was the older of the two, his eyes were a dark shade of green and his skin was a fair, orangish tone, his hair was brown, with only a small trace of black at the tips.

Something that made him different was the following: he had a power that he could use outside the racetrack, which allowed him to turn into a shadow and move everywhere, including going through solid objects with just very few exceptions; he was told by his father many times that he was special for being able to do such things, and it made Lloyd very proud, and even more so when his father had elected him to be the next Mayor of Trickery Treat.

On the other side, there was Gloyd, who was Lloyd's young sibling. His eyes were a soft chocolate brown, and his skin and hair were like Lloyd's in terms of colors, but Gloyd had two different things: first was that his hair was solid brown, and secondly was that his cheeks had a strong orange blush. This last feature always called his attention, since neither his brother or his father had it.

But there was more about him: Gloyd had no special abilities or powers and didn't have much courage or leadership either- for that Lord Duskus had pushed him aside and all his attention went to Lloyd. That's what he thought, at least.

There was only one thing Gloyd could do, obliged by his own father that is: Make all the house's choirs.

Currently speaking, Gloyd was working on the garden; he already finished his tasks for the day, and was enjoying his short free time doing what he loved to do: Take care of the plants in the majestic garden Lord Duskus owned, it was the only place, he felt, he had some freedom.

The garden was basically filled with black rose bushes, a huge dark caramel apple tree at the center, and many broken angel statues. Everything that grew on the island was either a dark or light tone of purple and black, the only exception were the pumpkins and candy corn, which were one of the very few kinds of candies the island produced.

But lately, there was something else growing there, something Gloyd had discovered. He didn't remember all the details, but he was certain he had something to do with it- one day he found some seeds in his pockets, how they got there he wasn't sure, but the only thing he could think of back then was to plant them somewhere in the garden.

The seeds were black, but when he retreated them from his pocket to finally plant them, they had turned golden.

And from golden seeds, golden bulbs came from them- small and weak, but they sparkled brightly, like if someone had dropped an entire bag of glitter on them.

The brunette kneeled down and caressed the bulbs with the tips of his fingers. He couldn't help but wonder if he really turned those plain seeds into what they were now; Gloyd didn't have a second name, and never dared to ask why, but he realized it must be because of his lack of anything that made him… _'special'_.

Maybe, just maybe… these flowers were what he had waited for?

"Outside again?" A voice said from behind him, snapping him back to reality as he turned around quickly. It was his brother, leaning on the door frame and staring down at him from above the steps. "Dad won't like it if you stay all day out here, you know."

"I… already did my tasks," Gloyd said softly in his defense.

Lloyd said nothing as he turned his gaze at the golden sprouts. "…" He sighed then. "Look, I shouldn't be telling you this, but don't forget about your priorities." He turned around and started walking away. "Or dad will be furious."

Gloyd flinched, and that was enough to convince him. He stored all the gardening tools he had used, made sure everything was in order, and lastly…

"Where did I put that thing…?" He looked around and finally found what he needed: a dark piece of cloth to hide his plants.

His father didn't know about his plants, and it was better if he never did, honestly.

Once he hid the golden flowers from sight, he double-checked the scene, just to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything, and then headed inside.

He missed a small shadow sneaking it's way to the hidden sprouts.

* * *

"You made the rooms?"

"I did."

"Guest's rooms?"

"I did."

"Bathrooms?"

"Obviously."

"I didn't see you cleaning the kitchen today." Lloyd raised an eyebrow at him.

Gloyd nodded lightly. "I cleaned it yesterday, so the only thing I did today was to wash and save the dishes."

The older brother put the list down, sighing. "Seems like you did everything, the only thing missing is dinner, but that'll be in a few hours-" He stopped himself. "Hey." He lifted the list again.

"What is it?" Gloyd seemed nervous.

"The living room isn't included in the list." Lloyd showed the piece of paper to Gloyd. "Why isn't it here? Father made you write it, right?"

The younger boy looked at it and read it, noticing right away what Lloyd meant. "He did, but he didn't say anything about the living room-"

"Seriously? Don't play dumb." Lloyd frowned and his tone hardened, and it made Gloyd even more nervous. "That's the biggest place of this house and father told you not to clean it? It sounds to me like you've tried to avoid doing your tasks again."

The younger boy shook his head quickly. "T-that's not what I'm doing-!"

"Of course you have!" He suddenly shouted, making Gloyd freeze. "And this is the reason!"

A serpent-like shadow made their way towards them hurriedly, and Gloyd gasped as he saw what the shadow had brought.

It was one of his flowers.

"Because of these... useless things, you keep forgetting your chores and father gets mad every time he comes back!" Lloyd threw the flower hard against the ground, golden sparkles flying and spreading as it hit the hardwood floor. "He shouts at you over and over again and I can't sleep or concentrate on my studies! Because of you, I'm not able to prepare myself to become the next Mayor! Are you seriously that dumb to realize that!?" He cried at his sibling's face.

With the violent display, Gloyd had cowered back, his frame shaking and his eyes widened in fear- it has been a while since Lloyd had been that angry at him.

Growling under his breath, the older boy turned around. "Clean the living room, and do it quickly, I shouldn't be wasting my time in telling you things you already know." And with that, he headed upstairs.

Gloyd watched him leave, flinching when his brother's door was closed with a loud slam. He looked down at the destroyed flower, and felt an immense urge to start crying- of all things he could have done, Lloyd had to pick his precious flowers... and crush it for no reason!

This was unfair, he wasn't lying or trying to avoid his chores, and he never wanted to have Lord Duskus shouting at him! He was...! He was just...!

He was just trying to prove himself that he was worth much more than what his family made him believe...

Sniffling quietly as twin tears rolled down his face, Gloyd went to pick a broom and a shovel and started to clean the living room that brought him so many troubles.

 _'Just a chance...'_ He thought sadly. _'I just need a chance to prove myself, that's all I ask for...'_

* * *

Lloyd was sitting on his bed, the light of the moon falling over him silently. His room was filled with books, all of them for his studies his father insisted he required; one was open on his lap, but his eyes weren't fixed on it.

He sighed quietly, breaking the silence of his ambient for a few seconds, as he looked at the object taking his concentration away from his studies.

A glistening object in his hand, a petal from the flower he had destroyed minutes ago.

Lloyd just couldn't understand, and it troubled him to not know something, especially if it involved something this stupid- it was just a flower, so why did it bother him to think about this insignificant plant?

 _'Because Gloyd made it, that's why.'_

He groaned softly at his own thoughts, closing his eyes; his father had told him how special he was to have powers, but months later Lloyd noticed that wasn't the case- his shadow powers were a gift, from the Mayor himself, so why did it make him _'special'_? Because he was able to use them properly?

But if Gloyd made these flowers... then why didn't his father compliment him as well? What confused him most, was that he very well knew his father never gave Gloyd anything, and a power was out of question.

No, his sibling was _born_ with those abilities, unlike _him_. Abilities that weren't... too amazing, he guessed, but they were _there_.

"...Seriously..." He said quietly, opening his eyes and returned to look at the petal he was holding between his digits. "What's the point of these?"

Out of curiosity, he brought it closer to his nose and sniffed it- Lloyd quickly started to cough as some of the golden glitters entered his nostrils. "Ack!" He shook his head at the uncomfortable feeling, but then...

He blinked, ceasing all movement- there was something sweet lingering on his tongue; it was very faith, but he knew it was there. Looking at the petal again, he carefully opened his mouth and bit a small part from it.

The sweetness suddenly grew and his eyes widened; the petal almost instantly dissolved in his mouth and he swallowed, feeling as if something fluttered down his throat.

"What the...?" Lloyd touched his chest, still sensing that feeling inside him, but he was surprised to discover that... he liked it. It was soothing to have that sweet flavor in his mouth, and the slight tickling in his chest. He couldn't remember the last time he felt something similar.

It felt really good, it made him feel... _content._

"Little brother… you're one strange kid…" He said softly, studying the petal some more. He really didn't know what these flowers were meant to do, but he had the feeling it wasn't as simple as he first thought.

... And he had the feeling not even Gloyd knew what he was doing, either.

 _Gloyd._ He started to think about his young sibling- guilt crept up his chest as he remembered to hurt look in his eyes when the shouted at him. He knew there was no point in shouting at him like that, and it was obvious Gloyd was saying the truth-

 ** _'There you go again.'_** A low voice in his mind told him. ** _'Thinking about that boy, don't you remember anything your father tells you?'_**

He groaned. _'I do.'_ He thought, starting an internal debate. _'I remember everything he tells me, I know better than that.'_

 ** _'And yet, you are still showing pity to that dumb kid.'_ ** The voice hissed. ** _'Listen, your father comes tired from his work every day, trying to make this place better for the villagers, the children... for YOU. He's doing what he can to see you become the greatest man that rules this place when he's gone, but do you know what's standing between you and that goal?'_**

 _'Gloyd can't do ANYTHING to stop me or father, don't be a fool.'_ Lloyd covered his face with his hands, getting tired of this. _'He only makes chores around the house, and that's it.'_

 ** _'True, but he can make your dad very, very mad, and it just stresses the poor man out... and he knows that.'_** A low chuckle. **_'You aren't getting the full picture. Look at me.'_**

Lloyd lifted his sight and stared at his own shadow that was reflected on the wall next to his bed. It suddenly moved, sitting cross-legged, and staring directly at him despite lacking any visible eyes.

 ** _'Hear me out; the two of us might be better now, but your brother just did something you wouldn't expect from him and his weak self... and this is the second time he does that.'_**

 _'The second time...?'_ He frowned.

His shadow moved slightly, and Lloyd could imagine a smirk forming on its dark face. **_'Don't you remember? He's the reason mommy isn't here anymore.'_ ** Lloyd froze. **_'She left because there was something in the kid that terrified her so much, that she had to escape.'_**

"Shut up." He said suddenly.

 ** _'Me? Shut up?'_ ** A laugh. **_'I'm just telling you the truth and yet... you doubt me, the power your dad gave you to be stronger than your brother.'_**

A long silence came after that statement.

 ** _'Your mother left, your brother has powers... what are you doing? Waiting for the third surprise?'_** The voice became deeper, and the shadow expanded.

Lloyd gasped and tried to get away, but suddenly a dark swirl wrapped itself around his leg and pulled him back. "L-let go!" He cried.

Not listening to his plea, the shadow started to grow out the wall, dark fluid dropping on the bed's mattress as a long face stretched out of the dark mass and faced him, opening its mouth to shout:

 **'IF YOU DON'T SHOW WHO'S THE STRONGEST HERE, YOUR MISERABLE BROTHER WILL RUIN EVERYTHING AGAIN!'**

"AHH!" Lloyd shot up from his bed, gasping and sweating. He quickly looked around, seeing nothing in his room; he whipped his head to look at the wall next to his bed.

His shadow was there, but it didn't do anything. No dark liquids around it, or on his bed. There was nothing in sight.

A couple of quick knocks at his door broke his moment of confusion. "Lloyd? Are you OK?" Gloyd's voice came from the other side. "I heard you shouting!"

It was just a nightmare... he must have fallen asleep at some point.

"Lloyd-?"

"I'm fine." He said firmly, still unnerved. "Did you do what I told you?"

"Huh? Um, yeah... I'm making dinner right now."

Lloyd rubbed his head, feeling a migraine coming. "Then go and finish that, I'll head down later." After a while, he heard his brother's footsteps leaving his door and heading downstairs. Once alone, he sighed out, running his hands through his hair as he remembered every detail and words from the nasty dream.

"...What the **Polybius** was that about...?" He said to himself.

* * *

A while later, Lloyd came downstairs; the smell of cookies filled his nose and it relaxed him a bit, reaching the last stair and turning around the corner, he saw Gloyd kneeling in front of the oven, probably checking that the food wasn't burning.

"What's for dinner?" He asked as he walked near Gloyd, noticing the small jump he gave when he spoke.

Gloyd was mad at Lloyd from earlier, but he knew there was no point in starting a discussion with him. He glanced up after seeing the cookies were doing alright. "You and father are having Candy Corn cobs and Pumpkin Spice cookies."

"That's fine by me." And it was, Lloyd loved Pumpkin Spice cookies, but then he caught on something the other had said. "... Hang on, me and dad? What are _you_ having?" Lloyd asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Nothing, I'm not really hungry..." He trailed off as he checked on the rest of the food.

This didn't impress Lloyd, not that much- there were times Gloyd wouldn't eat, and for some reason, his father was much calmer when he wasn't sitting with them. He just shrugged. "If you say so."

Saying nothing, Gloyd noticed the cookies were ready and removed them from the oven, setting them aside so that they would cool down. The table was already set and all left to do was to decorate the cookies later.

Meanwhile, Lloyd had moved to the living room; everything was cleaned up so he hoped his father wouldn't shout tonight- when he did, Lloyd had a harder time trying to fall asleep, and that proved to affect in his daily studies.

Shaking his head, not wanting to think about the homework he had to do next day, he picked the control remote and switched the TV on, looking for something to watch as they waited for the Mayor to arrive.

He quickly found a channel. "Hey, Gloyd." Lloyd called.

"Yes?" He answered.

"Sugar Rush is on TV, there's a race going on." The older sibling sat on the couch.

Gloyd's eyes lit up. "Really?" He quickly got the living room and looked at the screen. It was indeed Sugar Rush, and all the racers were in the starting line, getting ready to take off.

All the racers were adults and all of them were based on candies Gloyd had never seen in the island before- Lloyd had once explained him that, obviously, their land lacked many sweets because they had the Halloween theme going on, so the treats and the colors in their place followed that theme while Sugar Rush, as it was the mainland, didn't follow any theme so it was filled with varieties of candy and vivid colors.

"Check out those karts!" Gloyd said, seeing the vehicles lined up with their engines roaring as they readied themselves to start running. "Too bad we can't ride one yet."

"We?" Lloyd looked at him. "What are you talking about? Father would never let you have a kart on your own, and less drive it."

"Huh? But..." Gloyd looked back at his brother, confused. "I once heard him say that one day we would compete in the races-"

"There's no _'we'_ , so stop saying that." He growled quietly. "Father was talking about ME, I'm the one who is going to enter the races to keep up his name and reputation; that's my mission, and yours is to do the house chores." Lloyd was starting to get frustrated. "Why can't you see how things are meant to be?"

"Because it's unfair!" Gloyd said, frowning. "Why is that my mission? It's not-!"

"You're a shame to our family, something that wasn't supposed to happen." He cut his sibling's words sharply, with the same words their father once told him, making Gloyd freeze in place. "You are being treated the way you deserve to, and nothing is going to change that."

Just like that, their conversation was over, with Lloyd looking back at the TV, and Gloyd crestfallen behind him as his thoughts consumed his mind.

 _What did he do?_ Was there a reason his own family thought of him as a _mistake?_ He couldn't remember the time he did _anything_ to deserve any of this... if he _ever_ did. He could only sigh quietly.

Silence fell between them, none of them longer paying attention to the races. Lloyd tried to focus on the screen, but he was thinking about the things he had just said to his sibling- he knew they weren't right, but his father always told him the opposite. Starting to feel frustrated at himself he shut the TV off and stood up, feeling his brother's glance on him. "I'll go wash my face, father will be here soon." And with that said, he headed to the bathroom.

The younger boy looked at the clock, noticing right away that indeed, the Mayor would be arriving in about ten minutes. He hurried to put everything in the living room where it belonged before heading to the kitchen and taking the plate with the cooled off treats he had baked earlier.

Gloyd decorated the cookies just by covering them with cinnamon cream frosting and more Pumpkin Spice power, and then moved to see if the Candy Corn cobs were ready- they were, and with that, he finished setting up the table for the two.

He then heard the sound of a kart's engine outside. Lord Duskus had arrived.

"Lloyd!" He called, and a few moments later his brother showed up and sat on one of the chairs to wait. Gloyd hurried to the door and stood in front of it.

The two of them were used to this whole set-up.

 **Knock, knock.**

Gloyd opened the door; a large dark figure stood on the other side, and he immediately recognized it. "Welcome home, sir..." He greeted.

"Hi, dad." Lloyd smiled.

"Hello, my boy." The man smiled to Lloyd, but then he looked down at Gloyd and his smile faded almost entirely. Lord Duskus Crowmaster was tall, with purple blackish hair, dark gray eyes, and very pale skin. His face had very sharp features, making him look stern no matter what expression he made. He always wore the formal clothing of their island and a black cape- this latter resembled crow's wings.

In fact, being under his stare made you felt like a helpless prey, and that's how Gloyd felt right now.

"Hang this on the cloth rack." The man ordered harshly and tossed his cape roughly at the scared child.

"Y-yes, sir...!" He said when he grabbed the cape, nearly losing his balance from the unexpected added weight. Gloyd put the cape in its rightful place and made sure it was left hanging neatly, knowing that if not, he would be in for some serious troubles.

He heard some light chuckles and glanced behind him. There was Lord Duskus, smiling proudly at Lloyd as he used his powers to lift a few plates, and petting his son's head. Lloyd smiled up at his father, seeming proud of himself as well.

 _'His'_ son, _'his'_ father. They were a family, just the two of them; Gloyd was always left aside and away from the picture, to the point of having to call his own father... _'sir'_.

It hurt, sometimes.

"Hmm? Candy corn and cookies?" This snapped the younger boy out of his thoughts and fully turned towards them, seeing the man raising an eyebrow at the food. Again, Gloyd became nervous.

"I-I can do something else if you want…" He offered, his voice dropping the more he talked.

The Mayor sighed. "It will have to do, of course, I was expecting something far better after such a long day." Duskus sat next to Lloyd and then they began to eat and talk about their day, sharing a few smiles, a few chuckles, it was the typical moment between a father and his kid. A moment unknown for Gloyd.

He watched them for a while, before excusing himself, and heading towards the garden to have some time alone. As expected, none of the two table occupants seemed to have listened to what he said.

He considered himself lucky to have learned how to ignore the ache in his chest, for the most part.

* * *

 _'The day is XX, the month is XX. Strange clouds are covering the moon tonight, it seems like... an odd way to mark this occasion._

 _I saw the ship leaving one morning, a few months ago; it seems the sire had decided to take the young boy along this time. What I can't comprehend, is why he left the happy lady behind? I couldn't help but think that the family was slowly tearing apart, and today, I found out my intuitions were true._

 _I saw the happy lady today, followed by a short, but overall kind-looking man. The kind man spoke quite funny, in rhymes actually, and the happy lady seemed to be enchanted by it, while he appreciated her bubbly and giggly personality and her marvelous Pumpkin Pies._

 _What I saw that day, could not be described as any other thing, but pure love blossoming. A love I did not saw reflected in the happy lady's eyes when she married the sire._

 _I am happy, for her, but I'm worried, as well._

 _I wonder if the sky is trying to tell me something...?'_

* * *

 **A/N: As the title of this chapter says, 'Just a normal day' shows how life usually is for Gloyd inside the mansion. His interactions with Lloyd and their father don't fit the description of 'loving family', quite far from it really.**

 **I decided to make Lloyd have a less bratty attitude towards Gloyd, and instead be just cold and sharp when talking to him- Lloyd is a boy whose father wants him to be perfect, and behaving like a kid his age apparently isn't. He is filled with homework and researchers to do instead of doing 'social life', making him be as trapped as Gloyd is... but this seems to be taking a different toll on him.**

 **You know how they say parents want the best for their children? It seems Duskus had never heard of such thing.**

 **Also, yes, there will be a Journal entry for each chapter, that can remotely fit the context of our story, so watch for them!**

 **Oh, and the Polybius reference? I saw this headcanon about the video game characters considering that game hell itself, and I found it pretty accurate.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this edit! Please tell me what you think in the reviews- until next time!**

 **~DreamerAwaken.**


	3. Too Late to Fix

**_A/N: ...College sure gives me a lot of work, can't complain tho! With winter break so close by I'm finding myself some free time to write on... literally every story I have here, haha._**

* * *

 _'The day is XX, the month is XX. The moon is dimmed, and mist is covering the entire island._

 _Today I saw a rare sight... it is not often the sire goes out with the young boy, without the happy lady that is. Curious I, as usual, decided to watch them from afar._

 _I was really shocked to see the young boy using an ability I did not know he was capable of using. From one spot to another he moved, in the shape of a shadow so fast I lost sight of him multiple times. The young boy seemed thrilled, the sire... his expression was odd. There was pride, but also disappointment._

 _Judging by what he said, said disappointed was directed to himself:_

 ** _'I believe there are more things I need to work with than I originally thought if I want you to be as strong as you need to be...'_**

 _...Something about the way the sire said that is still bothering me- I wonder what he tried to mean by that?'_

* * *

Morning came once more to Trickery Treat, the moon shining brighter than it did at night and bathing everything in its silvery glow. A few beams of its light entered through the curtains of Lloyd's window, silently landing on his face.

He groaned softly as he sensed the brightness over his closed lids, quickly turning his head away from it and shielding himself with his blanket. He always had troubles to wake up early, even if last night he had such a good sleep-

 _BAM-BAM-BAM!_

Lloyd bolted up straight from his sleeping position by the loud sound of those hits, it sounded like they came from downstairs.

He sighed heavily, already making himself the idea of what was up.

His father's scream cleared it out: _"Wake up! You insufferable brat!"_ More hits were heard as Lord Duskus pounded on Gloyd's door, whose bedroom was directly under his.

"...Just great, this is totally the best way to wake up." Lloyd growled softly, untangling himself from his blankets. "Thanks a lot, Gloyd-"

 ** _'Told you he would pull off stuff like this.'_**

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the voice of his nightmare, and despite this being the second he had heard it... it felt so familiar somehow. Lloyd found the source of it, his own shadow, and glared. "Not now, I'm in a bad enough mood already and talking to you is out of question. Last time wasn't pleasant, at ALL."

His shadow moved from one side to another in slow movements. **_'Don't blame me, I don't cause nightmares to see you scared anyways, it's a bit insulting you think of me that way.'_ ** It said. **_'Maybe, if you went to sleep early instead of wasting time singing to that miserable excuse of a boy, you-'_**

"Stop insulting my sibling." Lloyd walked towards his closet, his back turned to his shadow. He believed he should be surprised to find out it knew about everything he had done last night, but... this seemed so natural, like if it's been always like that.

He huffed, clearing his thoughts away as he sent a small glare to his shadow. "And it's not like I stood hours in his room, either."

 ** _'You shouldn't even go to his room.'_ ** The shadow sneered. **_'Your dad told you so.'_**

He sighed, taking out a clean hood and sweatpants. "He tells me a lot of things, you know that-" How did _he_ know it knew _that?_ No matter how natural it felt, it was starting to weird him out.

Lloyd sighed and continued. "...Besides, it's only at night I can actually have some freedom myself." He turned back at the shadow. "And _dad_ told me that, as well- as long as I don't go out, I can do whatever I please."

The shadow stood still for a while. **_'...Smart kid.'_ ** It chuckled. ** _'Well, you have another long day ahead... have fun.'_**

Lloyd made a quiet, knowing sound, and after a few minutes, he knew the shadow was gone.

As he readied himself to get in the shower, he remembered the events of last night: things for once were peaceful, and they went to bed without any screaming from their father- lately, those moments before bed were becoming usual for Lloyd's dismay; he really wanted his sleeping schedule to be respected.

Point is that, since Gloyd had done such a good job that day, he figured out he deserved a small reward... or something.

At a certain hour of the night, the moon would glow through one the biggest windows in the living room, creating multiple shadows of the furniture and ornaments in there; in those rare moments that Lloyd wanted to pay his sibling a quick visit in his room, the shadow powers his father gave him came really handy.

But, since said hour was actually pretty late at night, Gloyd was never awake. And Lloyd never woke him up, either. He knew the boy needed to sleep as much as he did... and well, there was also the factor Gloyd didn't have a bed in his room.

Lloyd sighed, stepping inside the bathroom and letting the warm water run. His father could be very cruel sometimes- he didn't remember all the details, but apparently, Gloyd didn't finish a chore given or didn't do them correctly, but for punishment his father had taken his bed away for... a long while, he couldn't recall exactly how long.

"Nothing I can do about it..." He said to himself, stepping into the shower. "I can't get in between my father and Gloyd."

There was this one time, however, just once, in which he tried to stand up for Gloyd... it was a few years back; his father was furious that Gloyd didn't do the cleaning in Lloyd's room, but that was only because Lloyd himself told him not to. He remembered how that went down...

 _'Dad, I told him not to clean my room...' Lloyd had Gloyd hiding behind of him, his sibling trembling like a leaf in a storm._

 _'And why did you do that?' His tone was so firm that it actually scared the boy, for he did not remember his father ever using that tone on him._

 _Lloyd tried not to look away from his father's harsh stare. 'It's my room... I'm supposed to be responsible for keeping it tidy, right?'_

 _Lord Duskus' frown deepened even further, and he lowered himself to face his son. 'Listen up, Lloyd. When you became the next ruler, you will be working non-stop to make a great place for a bunch of ungrateful bastards, so they might as well obey the rules you give them.' He pointed a finger at Gloyd, who cowered even more behind his brother. 'I gave him an order and his sole purpose in his miserable life is to obey it, **understood?'**_

 _'But dad-'_

 _'I didn't raise you to be compassionate on those who don't deserve it.' Lord Duskus stood up, looking down at Lloyd with a dark expression. 'You disappoint me greatly.'_

 _Disappoint_. Lloyd gritted his teeth, remembering how much it affected him to remember his own father saying that- of course, he wanted to live to his expectations, but why was his brother in the middle of all this? That's the only thing he couldn't understand.

Realizing he's been there long enough, he shut the water and started to get ready for the day.

A sweet scent was coming from the kitchen. Gloyd was standing in front of the stove, flipping a few chocolate chipped pancakes over a huge pan. He yawned quietly, shaking his head to get rid of the drowsiness that came after the rough awakening. It wasn't the first time it happened, and certainly, it wouldn't be the last.

He left the finished pancakes on a big plate next to him, forming a stocked pile next to another one that was about double the size. Despite everything, he knew Lord Duskus was going to have a lot of meetings that day- he couldn't stop talking about it when he returned yesterday, so his breakfast's ration was the double of Lloyd's.

Speaking of which, he heard his sibling coming downstairs; Lord Duskus' steps were hard and loud, and often fast-paced, but Lloyd's were slower and almost didn't make a sound- if it wasn't for the creaky wood planks, Gloyd wouldn't be able to tell whenever his brother is coming or not.

"Morning Lloyd…" He said quietly as he added more of the pancake mix to the pan.

"Hey," Lloyd grumbled quietly as he took his spot at the table. "Nice show you made this morning."

Gloyd flinched visibly. "I...I'm sorry I woke you up…" He apologized.

The older sibling leaned back against his seat. "Why was father so on edge?"

"He's, uh, having a few meetings today... I think?" He glanced back at his brother, who seemed to remember.

"Ah, that makes sense." Lloyd rolled his eyes. "And even if you knew, you woke up late."

"I said I was sorry..." He mumbled, flipping the pancakes. Lloyd groaned quietly. "...Just try not the mess our breakfast, got it? Give dad something not to be mad about." Gloyd could only nod at that.

Lloyd stood quiet and looked at his brother concerned from his spot. He noticed Gloyd had made only two spots on the table. Wasn't he going to have breakfast? He already skipped dinner last night.

He started to feel alarmed, was his brother sick? He seemed fine right now, but it was impossible to stay so long without food and not being hungry, maybe he should ask him later-

 ** _You just don't understand.'_** He flinched as he heard the hiss. **_'He's making you pity him, stop falling so easily for his damn traps.'_**

Lloyd would have loved to answer back, but he couldn't- Gloyd was there, and he had not a single intention to have him knowing about... whatever the Polybius was happening with him, heck, he didn't want his own father to know. It was weird and stressing; his only guess was that he was talking to an imaginary friend of sorts.

The most annoying one by far.

 ** _'Watch it, I can hear your thoughts.'_** The voice growled, and Lloyd grunted loudly.

"You OK?" Gloyd glanced back at his brother, who almost jumped at the unexpected voice. "I heard you saying something..."

Lloyd shook his head. "Ah, it's nothing, I guess I'm still tired." He looked at Gloyd, then at the pan, and then he frowned. "The food's burning."

"W- aw no!" Gloyd hurriedly lowered the fire. "Hang on, I don't remember setting this thing so high...!"

 ** _'Told you.'_ ** The voice said cockily. **_'All he does is to mess around- a burnt breakfast will give the poor man a heart attack.'_**

Lloyd rolled his eyes, figuring that if the shadow could read his mind, then he might as well put that to some good use.

 _'And I told you, shut it. Besides, it was just one pancake.'_ He thought and waited.

The voice growled. ** _'Are you seriously never going to see the way I see things?'_**

Lloyd crossed his arms, feeling a small victory on his part. _'What do you care about? You won't be eating that burnt pancake. Just leave me alone and let me enjoy my food because I need it as well.'_

 ** _'...Fair enough.'_**

It wasn't until Lord Duskus headed downstairs and sat on the table that Lloyd could start eating his pancakes. As he reached for the syrup, he looked at the bathroom- Gloyd was there washing his hands, and just like the way he thought, he wasn't having breakfast with them today.

He then heard his father grunting and turned his head at him. "Not bad, but not good enough, hopefully, these will be enough for me to handle all the meetings I'm having today…" Duskus drank from his coffee mug, his face showing how annoyed he was.

"How long are you going to be there?" Lloyd asked.

"Nothing special, I will return home the same hour as usual, maybe earlier... but I know the reunions those idiots hold for me are tiring; they just can't do anything right without me there! It's frustrating…" The man ranted for a while and looked at Lloyd when he finished. "My son, you will understand when you get to rule the island."

Lloyd knew that phrase so well: _'When you become the Mayor.'_. Honestly, those words didn't make him feel as important as they did before. He guessed that hearing them so often make them lose all the meaning they had for him. That wasn't his father's case, of course. The man was deeply convinced Lloyd would take his place when his time was over, so there wasn't much the boy could do stop his father.

He heard a few steps coming towards them- paused and slow, almost as if it was a painful task to do, and he knew right away who they belonged to; Gloyd looked at his father as he stood near the table. "Sir, I think you will be late." He said quietly.

Their father shot him a glare, but he just stood up and grabbed his coat. "Take care Lloyd, keep things in order until I get back." Duskus smiled at Lloyd and then he walked off.

Once he walked out, Lloyd let out a sigh- lately, the presence of his father was bothering him somewhat. He couldn't tell why, but he guessed it was because he was starting to get used to not have him around the house the whole day because of his work. He took his plate and left it in the sink, before turning to look at Gloyd.

"Do you have your list?" Gloyd nodded. "Give it to me."

It became a habit for them to have Lloyd checking his sibling's list, just so he knew what Gloyd would be doing today. He did that so that he would check later if everything was done correctly.

This took time away from his studies, but it was better than having his father have a rage fit at night.

Gloyd passed him the folded paper, and Lloyd read it out loud: "Today you have to wash our clothes, clean the floors, the stairs... after you fix one of the steps?" He looked at said stairs and saw that a wooden piece was starting to break. "Huh, didn't see that yesterday."

Gloyd followed his gaze. "Me neither..." But he knew the reason, Lord Duskus broke that step that same morning. "We have planks to fix that, right?"

Lloyd nodded, then looked at the list again. "You also have to clean the windows, and finally cut the weeds in the garden." He blinked, and looked at the back of the list, not finding anything listed there. "Huh, I think this is the shortest list you were even given."

"I thought the same thing when father gave it to me." The younger sibling looked at the older, a bit confused. "Maybe... he forgot something?"

It was a good guess, but Lloyd knew better. "I doubt it. Besides, you did a lot yesterday, maybe there just isn't a lot left for you to do today." He looked at Gloyd with a more cold look. "But if you find anything that's out of place, unclean, or unfinished- **do it**. I liked to go to bed last night without any screaming, and it would be neat to do the same tonight, understood?"

The other boy nodded. "Y-yeah..." He received his list from Lloyd's hand. "What are you going to do now?"

"Studying." He rolled his eyes. "We live under the same roof and yet you ask-"

"I'm asking because I want to fix the step first and, you know, I need a hammer...?" Gloyd subtly hinted he was going to make noise, and maybe, lots of it. Lloyd blinked, seeming quite surprised to have ignored that fact, and then sighed.

"Alright." He started to go upstairs. "I won't study right away- but fix that step quickly."

"I will...!"

Once he was inside his room and laying on his bed, Lloyd decided to find some answers.

 _'OK, are you here?'_ He thought and waited. There was silence for a while, but then, a very faint sizzling sound was heard in the background.

He felt a presence. **_'You called me?'_** Lloyd visibly nodded. ** _'What is it?'_**

The boy closed his eyes, focusing. Somehow, he was able to picture the shadow in his room, it was next to him. _'I want to know just **what** are you.'_

 ** _'Oh? Just that?'_** It said, seeming amused. ** _'I doubt it's hard to guess.'_**

 _'I know father created you. What I don't know if it was intentional.'_ Lloyd frowned lightly. _'Are you a mistake or something?'_

A soft cackling and it sounded familiar, somehow. **_'I'm certainly not. Let's say I'm a little 'extra' to your powers.'_ ** That confused Lloyd. **_'...Think of me as a Power-Up you can have all the time.'_**

 _'I thought my powers were already that?'_

 _ **'Well, yeah, but I'm a Power-Up to that Power-Up, makes any sense now?'** _Lloyd nodded. The shadow was moving slowly around the place. **_'I can take your shadows power to a whole new level, kid, and that's what your father wanted- I was also made to be something like your bodyguard.'_**

"My bodyguard?" He found himself asking that out loud. "Why would father...?"

The shadow stopped moving. **_'He wants you to be under care at all times because for what I know, you still have too much to learn from this place and its people; if you are going to be the next ruler, then you need to at least-'_**

Lloyd groaned loudly. "Ugh, not you too..." Silence came after that reply, and Lloyd found himself growing uncomfortable by the prolonged silent atmosphere.

 ** _'...What do you mean by that, kid?'_**

He sighed and focused on going back into his thoughts again. _'I meant the next ruler thing, I have enough of hearing father talking about it- every time he's around me he just goes 'you will be mayor' here and 'the next ruler' that... I get it, OK? But my whole life just can't be me bossing around some people.'_

The shadow stood quietly for another while, then: **_'You certainly have a lot to learn.'_**

 _'Obviously, Mayor's son or not, I'm still a kid.'_ Lloyd decided to lay back on his bed. _'...Ironically, I never got to do anything other kids consider normal.'_

No answer, but that didn't stop Lloyd's train of thought. _'I mean, they all just go out of their houses and play the whole day, or play pranks on everyone, or just race for fun. And what I'm doing? Sitting all day here studying to be something my dad wants me to be, I'm wasting my childhood away... I'm going to be ten this year, and I feel like if I'm in my twenties.'_

 _'...Are you even here-'_

 ** _'Your dad is trying really hard to see your success.'_**

Lloyd sighed. _'I never said I didn't notice... I mean, all parents are like that.'_ He opened his eyes. _'But aren't I too... young to be readying myself for this? I'm not backing out but damn it... I want to be a kid just once-'_ He then heard the banging sounds of a hammer, and frowned. _'...I want the two of us to be kids at least once.'_

A low hiss. ** _'The two of us who? That other kid?'_**

 _'Of course, I meant my brother.'_ He sat up again and heard the shadow starting to growl. _'Ugh, what now?'_

 ** _'Those things you're dreaming of are utterly pathetic.'_**

Lloyd glared deeply. "And why would I care about a damn thing you say!?" He spoke up and stood from his bed. "We're both here all day! Every day! I don't care if you know how that feels because I do and I hate it! Polybius, I only want a day to be myself, go out and make some friends!"

The shadow sighed. **_'You are being ridiculous. Friends can only weigh you down because suddenly, you become so attached to them you forget who you really are. And you can be easily influenced into things that will make your life a mess.'_**

"We're in a game made for fourteen-year-olds that is about nothing but candy and races! What influences could I be dragged into? Shove a whole pie in my mouth?"

 ** _'You are starting to pester me, kid-'_**

"Fine then, what about Gloyd?"

Silence.

 ** _'...What about him?'_**

"You can't fool me." Lloyd crossed his arms. "I have only known you one day, even less than that, and you hate him with your whole being? Dad made you hate him and I want to know why."

The shadow stood still for a few seconds, then: ** _'I have no idea.'_**

"What?"

 ** _'I have no idea why your father wants me to be wary of that brat, but I'm sure there's a good reason for that-'_**

"Because he's my father everything he does is alright with you?"

 ** _'Of course, and it should be alright with you too.'_**

Lloyd groaned and covered his face with one hand. "Why am I even talking to you?"

 ** _'You called me.'_**

"Well," He sighed and glared at the shadow. "in that case, I'm calling you OUT of here, and you better not tell dad about any of this conversation."

Nodding its head, the shadow dissolved and left. Lloyd heard the hammering stop and knew Gloyd was ready with the steps. He no longer felt like doing his homework, so he decided to lay back on his bed, and think of just... everything happening around him.

He knew he wasn't wrong, the way they lived wasn't under any circumstances 'normal', he and Gloyd were caged like birds, but one had it worse than the other.

 _'...What's worst it that thinking about all this will get me in troubles since it goes against his way of thinking.'_ He thought bitterly. _'Until I'm free, I will have to avoid father knowing any of this. Dammit... stupid shadow behaves so much like him, no wonder it annoys me-'_

"AH!"

 _BUMP!_

The sudden hit made Lloyd jump. He quickly stood up and went to the door. Once he walked out of his room and looked down, he saw Gloyd who was all the way down the stairs and trying to sit up, all the tools scattered around the place. "Hey! What happened?" Lloyd made it to where his sibling was.

Gloyd had a pained expression, and there were also small cuts on his knees- he had fallen directly over the broken plank and there were splinters buried in his skin as well. Lloyd grimaced a bit, they seemed to have been buried pretty deeply.

The younger boy looked up at his sibling with panic, which startled Lloyd a little- he knew he didn't use 'that' tone, so why was Gloyd looking at him that way?

"...I," Gloyd swallowed and continued. "I f-fell but..." He looked at the stairs, still seeming scared. Lloyd followed his sight but saw nothing. The stairs were fixed, at least, but he didn't see anything out of place.

"...But what? You fell from the stairs, big deal, it's not the first time you do-"

"I didn't fell on my own! Something grabbed my legs!"

Lloyd stopped and looked at his sibling, frowning. "What do you even mean?"

Gloyd tried to sit up better, but the splinters made his knees burn and it hurt him. He whimpered lightly and continued. "I-I felt... fingers grabbing both my legs when I was walking down the stairs..."

"Fingers? Are you sure you didn't get your feet caught in a step?" The older sibling knew that wasn't something entirely logical, but there was no one in the house aside of them, meaning no one grabbed Gloyd.

"I'm sure I didn't! I was pulled back and-! Ow!" Gloyd yelped when he tried to stand up and just continued to sit on the floor. Sighing, Lloyd turned around. "Wait here, and don't move your leg."

A while after, Lloyd had returned with a first aid kit, and was done taking out the splinters from Gloyd's knees. Despite this not being the first time he had helped Gloyd with a minor injury, it was a rare occasion.

"Still stings?" Asked the older sibling as he wrapped a small bandage around the small cuts that oddly enough, were not healing on their own. The younger shook his head, having not said a single word during the whole process. "Lucky you I haven't been interested in doing my homework, otherwise I wouldn't be here doing this."

"I... I know." Gloyd finally said and examined his legs once it was patched. He looked at it, it no longer hurt, but the pixels that could heal any damage to his body had yet to appear. "...How come it's not, uh... healing yet? It was just a few cuts."

Lloyd knew.

"You have a faulty code, remember?" He sighed softly, remembering what his father told him. "You can't heal your own damage as fast as I do with mines, in short terms you can be considered a...glitch." Lloyd frowned, he didn't like that word entirely- sure Gloyd had a problem in his code but, was glitch even the right term? Gloyd wasn't pixelating or blinking, in fact, he never did, and yet their father called him that.

Was that the reason his father hated Gloyd? The man cared so much about his damn pride that a kid with a faulty code was a menace for his image. It made sense.

A small 'oh' sound got him out of this thoughts, and he looked at his sibling who was looking down. "Right, code issues..." He looked up at Lloyd. "...Thanks."

This caught the other off-guard. "Huh?"

"I said, thanks." Gloyd smiled lightly. "For, you know, helping me with my knee... you didn't have to."

It was true, he didn't have to, but Lloyd ignored that fact almost entirely- when was the last time he had heard his sibling speak so honestly with no trace of fear? Or see him smile so easily?

He couldn't help but smile back.

"...You're welcome."

For a second, Lloyd wished things could have moments like this more often. Moments he was the 'good older brother', and Gloyd was a 'smiling kid'.

Shouldn't things _be_ that way?

* * *

Lloyd went back to his room shortly after, leaving Gloyd alone to do the rest of the shores. What happened earlier left the younger with a smile; it was rare to see Lloyd so calm, but even rarer to receive a smile from him. It felt special.

But what happened before that still had him worried- he was sure he didn't imagine it, a couple of long, skinny fingers grabbed him back there. It didn't make sense, but Gloyd was sure of what he felt.

He shook his head, trying not to think of it much. Right now he had chores to do, and he also wanted to have a peaceful night just as much as his brother did. With that thought in mind, Gloyd picked the basket with the dirty clothes and started the washing machine. He picked the usual amount of soap and put in the clothes, and put everything together; it was a big charge so he knew he had to wait a few hours for it to be done.

Deciding to move on another task, he picked up a bucket with a sponge and went to wash the windows; he wasn't allowed to go outside so he could only clean them from inside the house, but honestly, the windows still seemed dirty. Once he was finished, he moved with the next chore.

He cleaned the steps, and moved with another chore, then to the next one, then to another, and yet another. By this point, he was just doing things that weren't included in the list-

The washing machine suddenly beeped, and he knew the clothes were ready to put in the dryer. Gloyd cut his current activity and went back to the laundry room. He took a basket, retreated the clean clothes and put them in the other machine. For a moment he considered washing his sweater- it was dirty and it had begun to itch him last night.

Gloyd figured out that he would after working with the weeds at the garden. He started the dryer machine and walked out-

 _BLAM!_

He jumped, and looked up, did that came from Lloyd's room?

 _BLAM!_

Once again he jumped and whipped his head to another direction he thought the noise came from. He saw something very confusing. Two mud splatters were on the windows-

 _BLAM!_

Make them three.

He rushed and quickly looked out through the window, trying to see just what had happened, but there was no one outside. He did a double-take but nothing. Gloyd tried to think this further but heard steps coming down. "Uhh, Lloyd?"

"Hey, what gives?" His sibling called back, reaching the first floor.

"Someone threw mud at-!" Gloyd looked back at the window, and his words died in his throat.

The windows were spotless.

Lloyd got to his side, and seeing his brother looking intensely at the window he imitated him and saw nothing. Frowning slightly he looked at Gloyd. "I heard noises, but what was that about the mud?"

"I- but-" Gloyd didn't understand, he looked at Lloyd. "Someone threw mud at the windows! I saw it!"

"Mud at the windows... from the outside." The older repeated, not believing anything. "The windows are clean, you know."

"They weren't before you came here!"

"So you cleaned them?"

"No! The mud vanished!"

Lloyd sighed. "First feet under the steps, and now invisible mud? I think you have started to see things."

Gloyd looked at Lloyd in disbelief. "But you just said you heard something..."

"...Whatever I heard couldn't have been mud-"

 _BLAM!_

Both jumped. Gloyd looked at the windows, but there wasn't anything. However, Lloyd wasn't looking outside.

"That came from the laundry room!" He said turning around. He rushed to said room and saw how the dryer machine violently shook in its place. The younger sibling arrived shortly after and turned it off in a hurry, making everything stop.

Lloyd got to his side. "Why was it sounding like that!?"

"I..." Gloyd started to move the clothes around and touched something that wasn't there before. "...there's a rock in here!"

"Are you kidding me." Lloyd kneeled down next to him and was shocked to see it was true. "...OK, you have two seconds to explain how THAT ended in the dryer."

Gloyd looked at him. "How am I supposed to know!? The washing machine didn't make any sounds so the rock wasn't there I took them out! I don't know where it came from!"

"So, it was in the dryer the whole time?" Lloyd asked, trying to think of the logical way, but suddenly a thought came to him. He took the rock out and left it on the ground, closed the dryer's door and stood up, and pressed the button to start the machine.

The machine didn't start.

"...Fudge! Gloyd!" He shouted, gripping his head. "The machine's broken! Dad's will go nuts!"

"What!?" He stood up, and tried to select any of the buttons to make the machine work, it didn't. He started to tremble, panicking at the thought of what the man would do to him. "N-no, it can't be..."

Lloyd sighed, starting to get frustrated. What was going on with his sibling? Was he going crazy? It had to be, how else would he claim to have seen and felt things that just didn't happen? And the rock... maybe Gloyd did put it there without even realizing he did? Goddammit, it was clear tonight was going to be awful for him, he wasn't going to get any sleep-

A small sniff broke his thoughts, and he glanced at his brother- Gloyd had started to cry quietly, and he was trembling so much, obviously terrified.

Lloyd watched him for a while. It... this was too much; it wasn't the first time Gloyd had cried but... if his brother truly was going crazy, then he knew he needed help. Maybe tonight would suck for him but for Gloyd, if Duskus found out, it would be unleashing Polybius over him.

He noticed something: _'if Duskus found out...'_

"Don't worry." He said suddenly, and Gloyd stopped crying at that moment. Turning towards his sibling, he continued. "Look, the machine's pretty old. Let's just... let's just tell dad it suddenly stopped working. Hang the clothes outside or something so they can dry and get rid of the rock."

"You..." Gloyd dried his tears, looking at Lloyd with shocked eyes. "You won't tell this to father?"

"No, I won't... but," The older sibling frowned lightly. "Look, I think something's going on with you. I know you told me you saw things, but I'm sure you imagined them, and if seeing these things will cause more problems like this, then I think you need you avoid doing more chores."

"But you told me-"

Lloyd sighed, sounding frustrated. "Just, do what I'm saying now or I might tell Dad about this." Gloyd quickly shut up and nodded his head. "...What else did you have to do?"

Gloyd seemed to think about it, and then he replied: "I had to take care of the weeds..."

"Dad never cares about the garden, so I think you can skip that one." Lloyd looked at the wet clothes. "..." He sighed and picked the basket. "He will notice the clothes though, let's hang these outside-"

 _ **'Why are you helping him?'**_

 _'...'_

"...Lloyd?"

The mentioned looked at his sibling. Gloyd seemed a bit concerned. "You spaced out a bit... are you alright?"

"...Yeah, I am."

 ** _'You haven't answered my_ _question-'_**

"It's nothing important." He continued.

 ** _'Kid, are you even listening!?'_**

"Let's just get this done before he arrives, alright?"

"A-alright!"

The two brothers headed outside. Gloyd walked off to find where they could hang the clothes, leaving Lloyd on his own as he set the basket down.

 ** _'What the hell, kid?'_ ** The voice hissed angrily.

Lloyd growled softly. 'Damn it, what do you want?'

 ** _'You're not supposed to watch after his back!'_**

 _'And why not?'_ His head started to hurt, and quite a lot. Lloyd sat down on the steps and held his head with one hand, groaning lightly. _'Why should I listen to you?'_

A louder hiss, it sounded like is something was burning in his ears. **_'You have to do what you were asked to! Your homework, and prepare for when you-'_**

 _'Don't give me that bull.'_ Lloyd cut him. _'I will do it after I make sure Gloyd is not getting killed by his bad luck.'_

 ** _'If you don't head to your_** ** _fucking_** **_room right now, I'LL kill him.'_**

A dreadful silence fell around Lloyd, like if time has stopped within the garden.

"...What?" He asked out loud.

 ** _'You have seen what I can do, and that brat had seen it too. I'm way more than an imaginary friend.'_** It said, threateningly. ** _'Don't believe me? Here's a hint: Steps.'_**

"You pushed him!?" He felt anger and panic started to consume every inch of his body. "Why would dad let you do that-!?"

"Lloyd?" The boy froze as he heard Gloyd's voice from the other side of his garden. "What's wrong?" And he heard steps coming towards him.

 ** _'I was made this way to avoid you going soft for that good-for-nothing piece of glitch! Ever since he was born he has done nothing but stand in our way! I will not sit here and see you taking care of him!'  
_  
** Lloyd felt an intense burning sensation in his chest and he clutched it hard with his hand, falling to his knees as the pain in his head forced him to close his eyes. "S-stop-!" He was terrified. "Stop that already!"

"Lloyd!" Gloyd called after him again, his steps faster now.

 ** _'I will let you know just what I can do.'_**

Lloyd froze with fear, before letting out a scream as his body felt like it was set on flames.

Dark swirls, everywhere, blocking the moonlight. It all hurt so much, and he was so scared, there were tears falling down his face as everything went dark.

Before losing consciousness, he knew he had seen an orange spot on said darkness.

And his brother's terrified face.

* * *

 **A/N: And more changes! In the original story, it was Duskus who came and severely hurt Gloyd, but I believe having the Silhouette taking that part in the course of the story is much more suitable... for reasons~**

 **Welp, sure feel proud of myself for posting two chapters in one night! Remember to leave a review!**

 **~DreamerAwaken.**


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